This invention relates generally to pumps for dispensing personal products and, more particularly, to an improved lotion pump.
Pumps that are capable of dispensing relatively large amounts of viscous materials, such as lotions, creams, soaps and the like, are commonly referred to as lotion pumps. Similar types of pumps, which are characterized by the ability to dispense relatively large quantities of material as compared to dispensing pumps that only dispense a small, typically atomized, amount of material, can also be used in applications for dispensing a wet spray or stream of a less viscous liquid, e.g., household cleaners and the like.
Dispensing pumps of this type include a housing forming a pump chamber in which a piston is disposed for reciprocal movement. At the inner end of the pump chamber an inlet valve is provided, which is closed during dispensing and opens to refill the pump chamber on the return stroke. The most typical type of inlet valve is a ball check valve. An outlet valve is formed in the area of the piston and opens during dispensing to permit the outflow of material through an actuator spout as the actuator is depressed to move the piston inwardly in the pump chamber, and, thus, to dispense the fluid material.
Pumps of this nature in the past have suffered from various drawbacks, such as difficulty in manufacture and leakage under different conditions of use. Thus, there is a need for an improved pump of this nature, which is easy to manufacture, can be used in a variety of different applications, and is not subject to leakage when used, and even abused, by a consumer.